


The Bubbler

by darkesky



Series: Duality [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Twins, Episode: s01 Le Bulleur | The Bubbler, Gen, Miraculous Ladybug PV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:33:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21842977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkesky/pseuds/darkesky
Summary: “You know how this works." Adrien gives his brother his best, most award-winning smile.Felix sighs. "And I'm assuming I can't convince you to bend the rules.""I'm certain," Nathalie says, "you two can get into enough trouble without intentionally planning on breaking rules."“Please, we barely break the rules.” Felix leans back in his chair.---In which friendships and birthdays never happen the way you want them to (thank you, Hawkmoth)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste & Felix Agreste, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe
Series: Duality [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1555636
Kudos: 44





	The Bubbler

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so you'll notice later on in this chapter, Marinette is DEFINITELY not featured in this chapter. It's because, later on, she will get a few installments where she's heavily featured. Make sure you comment if you didn't like this, though, I'm not sure if it comes across as well as I'd hope.

_ The Guardians of the Miraculous evolved beyond humanity; their lives stretched longer than anyone else around them. While the extended lifespan came with both ups and downs, Wayzz saw no negatives on his end. Most of the time, the Guardians aligned with the turtle miraculous. After all, he was the kwami and god of wisdom, and Guardians  _ must  _ have wisdom above all else.  _

_ Unlike the others, he stayed with the same Guardian until they passed the title along. He knew they struggled to find the right time to give away the responsibility; how do you give away all the grief and guilt you’ve lived with for so long? How do you know you’re giving someone else the same pain, the same anguish you took so long to accept? _

_ And the criteria for Guardians played fast and loose with a definition. Every time Wayzz thought they got close to pinning it down, it spun out of control again. People aligned to the defensive Miraculouses rather than offensive often succeed (Tikki, Wayzz, and Duusu made the best leaders, after all), but he saw a fox Guardian work better than their peacock opposite ever could.  _

_ But he knew when a Guardian started to fail the criteria. While evil Guardians formed every once and a while (some became Guardians through bloodshed and not merit), good Guardians lost their own merit soon enough. They grew too old to do much more than watching heroes fight. And even if they watched over whichever Miraculouses laid dormant, because all seven in play meant the world faced its end, their own power lessened day after day. _

_ Wayzz knew, deep down, his master needed to start seeking out a new wielder for the turtle miraculous. And while he could remain the Guardian of the Miraculouses, he also needed to start seeking out a replacement there. He couldn’t imagine a way for the kwamis to exist without a Guardian… The Guardian prevented evil from striking them because they rarely chose wrong. Anyone other than the Guardian chose wrong all too often; they disrupted the balance of the universe. There were rules, after all. _

_ Yet, he couldn’t find the words to say it. He grew attached to Master Fu, and asking him to give up their friendship, their relationship, for some ancient law… Maybe Wayzz was wrong. Maybe Wayzz could let him remain in control for another century at the very least. _

(But wisdom never lied, and he knew logic pointed him to the same conclusion, over and over again.)

_ “You want all seven of us in play?” Wayzz flew over to his master and sat on his shoulder. _

_ The older man flinched before sighing. “Wayzz, there is another Guardian out there. But a Guardian means nothing without something to guard… And he wants the Miraculous box. The safest place for them to be is away from me.” _

_ “But Master…” Wayzz hesitated. “You are a capable Guardian. Just because there is another challenge doesn’t mean we must act to such extremes. We’ve already handed out the Black Cat, the Ladybug, the Butterfly, and, naturally, you keep the Turtle in use. Surely, we don’t need two more.” _

_ “You don’t understand, Wayzz. This is a greater danger than we have faced before.” Master Fu’s eyes grew glassy. _

_ Wayzz ducked his head. Of course he understood; he understood that while this danger may be the most extreme to Fu, Fu was losing his touch on what a great danger was.  _

-

As Adrien presses his face against the window of the backseat, nostalgia tugs at his stomach. This used to be his view of the world. He let the glass keep him from exploring the small bakeries, venturing into the bouquet shops, and studying the  _ real world.  _ His father gave the two of them a mansion, and that was the only romping ground they were allowed.

His hand wanders to the string hidden by his new turtleneck. Woven, knitted clothes aren’t his favorite, but the photoshoot called for a  _ ‘hipster look.’  _ And a hipster look meant his silver ring wasn’t going to go, so he dangled it around a string and wore it as a necklace beneath his clothes. At the very least, Plagg would be close by on the off chance another akuma came by.

As he pulls it out and slips it back on his finger, his kwami peeks out of the bag. “Are we  _ finally  _ done with that?”

“Yeah.” Adrien spins the ring for good measure. It fits perfectly; he wonders if that’s part of the magic, or if it’s destiny. Heat pools in his cheeks the second he thinks that.  _ Destiny  _ is so… Big. And extreme. And doesn’t usually apply to people like him. They’re for the fearless and the brave like Ladybug and Le Paon. “Sorry. I know that probably wasn’t a whole lot of fun for you.”

“There are only two things that are fun,” Plagg proclaims as he flops into Adrien’s hair. “Eating Camembert and sleeping.”

“Both of those sound  _ boring.”  _ Pulling back against the glass, he leans into the seat.

Plagg snorts. “Better than photoshoots. Why do you even do those?”

“Well, it was a nice way to bond with my father…” Adrien feels Plagg tense on his head, and he runs through the sentence in his head.  _ Oh.  _ “Is! It  _ is  _ a good way to bond with my father!”

“Okay, kid, whatever helps you sleep at night.” His kwami shifts in his hair before settling down. Before long, Adrien feels the vibrations coming from his body. He’s  _ purring  _ (and he knows Plagg has passed that habit to him, so he can’t even make fun of him!).

As he pulls out his phone, an alert pops up from the Ladyblog. A smile crosses his face as he pulls it up without question. Tonight wasn’t his night on patrol; as Chat Noir, he tried to make sure his schedule of being a model didn’t conflict with any of the patrols. He couldn’t trust himself not to skip out of the sessions to go have fun on the rooftops. Lord knows which one he’d prefer.

Onscreen, Alya captured a blurry shot of Le Paon and Ladybug sitting atop a building. Both of them hold what seems to be coffee cups, and he can imagine their uncomfortable laughter. It always comes out jagged and disjointed. Somehow, the two of them forget how to naturally be happy around each other; Fluffy really just brought it to a head earlier in the week (or, as the Ladyblog called him instead,  _ Mr. Pigeon.  _ Adrien would rather stick with Fluffy if he’s being honest). 

“Gross,” Plagg murmurs from his hair. “Are you staring at her again?”

“Maybe I’m staring at Le Paon this time. Mixing it up, you know?” He thinks he can see Plagg in the reflection of the glare, so he winks. 

He groans. “Nope, nope. You’re not allowed to stalk any more superheroes.”

“I don’t think it’s  _ stalking.  _ I know them in real life, you know.” A laugh bursts free from his lips before he can contain himself. Adrien shuts down his phone and places it down beside him before cupping his hands. After a few seconds, Plagg floats down and lands. “You made me a  _ superhero.” _

“Is this just now hitting you?” Amusement glints in his green eyes.

Adrien shakes his head. “No, but… I’ve been up until at least midnight all week. Because I’m a model and because I’m a superhero, and I think I’m living a pretty sweet life. So… Thank you, Plagg.”

“You’re sappy when you haven’t slept.” Plagg wrinkles his nose, turning away with an exaggerated huff. “Leave your mushiness for Ladybug. I’m sure  _ that’ll  _ impress her.”

“Oh, come on.” He strokes the top of his head between his ears, and Plagg purrs in response before stiffening. 

Plagg glances over his shoulder. “Low blow, kid.”

“You know you love me.” Adrien gives him his best shit-eating smile. He doesn’t think he  _ had  _ a shit-eating smile before he became Chat Noir. It was either the polite, rehearsed one he does for almost every photoshoot or a surprised smile, mouth hanging open slightly, when Nathalie and Felix made a joke. This… This crossed the realm into a brand-new extreme, and Adrien  _ loves  _ that.

His kwami shrugs. “Do I?”

“I hope so.”

Before the conversation can continue, his phone dings, and Adrien reaches over to check. He  _ knows  _ it won’t be Felix; Felix tried to go to bed early tonight. And it won’t be his father because he doesn’t think he ever stays up past nine PM unless something special comes up. 

On his home screen, right before the time proudly displaying  **_0h00,_ ** two texts vie for his attention. The first one comes from his first friend, rife with emojis and hearts, and the second one comes from his first friend at school, rife with typos and under case letters. But whether it’s Chloe or Nino, the message is clear.

Adrien beams. “Happy birthday to me!”

“It’s your birthday?” Plagg hums and shifts to glance at his phone. He places his paw on the screen and meets Adrien’s eyes. “You can have my Camembert for today. As a present.”

“Plagg,” Adrien says gently, “I would rather die than eat Camembert.”

“What a shame. I guess that leaves more for me!” His kwami cackles before diving into Adrien’s bag. Right before Adrien tries to drag him out, two green eyes peek out again. He stares at him for a long second before pulling something out of the bag.  _ “But,  _ I did get you a present as long as you don’t make a big deal of it.”

“You got me a present? How’d you know it was my birthday?” 

Plagg rolls his eyes. “It’s all you’ve talked about for what feels like  _ weeks.  _ I don’t get humans’ traditions. Why would you celebrate getting a year older?”

Adrien goes to say something, but his kwami shushes him with a flick of his tail and a hiss. Plagg deposits a black, leather band in his hand. He tugs at it before he realizes what it’s for. Reaching up, he unties the ribbon and replaces it with the new necklace. Sliding his ring off, he ties it to the end and tucks it beneath the turtleneck. “How do I look, Plagg?”

His eyes study Adrien for a long moment, and he gets an eerie sense he’s returned to the photoshoot. Adrien reaches to play with the ring before his fingers remember he moved it today.

“Fifteen,” Plagg settles on saying, and Adrien  _ glows. _

-

“Duusu,” Felix groans as he shoves a pillow over his head. Adrien disappeared into the bathroom after his  _ ‘long night modeling’  _ (read: patrolling with Ladybug), and Duusu reacts by making bolder plays in broad daylight. Right now, he perches right next to his face. “Duusu,  _ stop.  _ If you hit me in the face one more time, I’m going to murder you.”

The peacock kwami flaps his tail decisively, hitting his cheek hard. “Your brother’s up, peachick. If you share the  _ exact  _ same DNA, that means you should be up too. C’mon! We have places to be, people to make…  _ Days to celebrate.” _

Felix ignores the last part of his statement. Too many people want to celebrate today. Adrien tries to stay up all twenty-hour hours, basking in the new feeling. At school, people gossiped in low tones about a birthday party last week, but whenever Felix or Adrien got close, they dispersed with a half-hearted lie. 

_ (“It’s not their fault you can detect lies now,” Duusu told him that night. Felix glanced at him, making a face. “I’m the kwami of truth; of course a white lie can’t trick you.”) _

And today, too many people try to contact him in subtle ways. Adrien lacks any subtlety, as to be expected of a leather-donned superhero, and they know he’ll figure it out. Somehow, the intrepid, amateur reporter got his phone number, and after she started texting him, the wannabe DJ joined in. 

How does he explain to them that, while it’s their birthday, neither twin will be leaving the house today?

Duusu slaps his cheek again. “You’re thinking too hard! It’s a morning of action, not thought.”

“It’s a morning of disappointment all around.” Felix pauses before finally discarding his pillow over the side of his bed. He’ll make it before he leaves for breakfast. As he makes his way to the dresser, his hand slips under his sweatshirt to play with the brooch. Unlike Adrien, who gets to keep his ring on throughout the night without being detected, Felix has taken to wearing an oversized jacket to hide the brooch—that, and Gabriel disapproves of anything which doesn’t match his brand.

As Felix switches into a sweater vest, going to clip the brooch on once more, he makes eye contact with Duusu. “I’ve never seen a more inconvenient Miraculous in my life.”

With a laugh, Duusu dives onto his shoulder and starts analyzing the pair in the vanity. “Oh,  _ please,  _ there are more inconvenient Miraculouses. Pollen uses a hair comb! Where would you even put that? And the others have jewelry, sure, but it’s not very impressive. Anyone can do a necklace; very few people can pull off a brooch.”

“With a ring, I wouldn’t have to constantly hide it.” He grumbles before running a comb through his hair.

Floating upwards, Duusu starts to adjust his locks to make him look more proper and official. “You wouldn’t work well with Plagg, peachick. You two would butt heads every second you possibly could; cats and peacocks are very proud creatures, but we’re not mischievous. We don’t stoop to that level.”

“So you and Adrien wouldn’t blend well either…” Felix hums to himself. “You might have a point, Duusu. Another ring might be… Problematic. It’s too  _ twin-like.  _ Like when Gabriel and Mother used to make us dress up identically for photoshoots.”

“Yeah! The only two who match are me and Nooroo. We both have brooches, the far  _ superior  _ choice.” Duusu lights up, a smile racing across his face.

He pauses. “Nooroo?”

“Hawkmoth’s kwami.”

“Oh, great, so I’m twins with  _ Hawkmoth.”  _ Felix rolls his eyes. Duusu splutters and starts defending his friend, but Felix allows himself to zone out. At the end of the day, he might never meet Nooroo. And, if he does meet Nooroo, he  _ knows  _ it won’t be under any sort of pleasant circumstances.

Walking across the room, he raps his knuckles against the bathroom door. Whatever quiet conversation Adrien’s been keeping up with  _ his  _ kwami splutters to a stop. “Are you almost ready to go?”

“What do you think?” Adrien throws open the door and strikes a pose in his new turtleneck. Unlike yesterday, though, he keeps his ring on his finger. “Brand new from last night’s shoot. Does it  _ scream  _ maturity? Pensiveness?”

“Careful, Adrien. Your model is showing.” Felix leans against the wall, and his brother pouts. “You’re way too hyped for this.”

“Maybe,” Adrien starts, “you’re not hyped enough.”

“I guarantee you I could map out how today will go.” Holding up his fingers, he starts ticking off the agenda. “One: eat breakfast with the wardens—sorry, I meant Nathalie. Two: receive another lackluster present from Gabriel. Three: Come back upstairs, and you’ll start texting anyone you can reach, and I’ll go on the computer. Four: Gabriel comes into our room only to briefly ask what homework we’ve done and express his disappointment we haven’t finished. Five: Sleep.” 

“Father’s trying his best!” Adrien protests. “I think he’s turning over a new leaf. After all, he let us go to school!”

He rolls his eyes. “Your naivety is refreshing, Adrien. Do you want to see what the chefs made us for breakfast, or do you want to keep eating your secret stash of disgusting cheese?”

“It’s not a secret stash! I keep it out in the open; I have  _ nothing  _ to hide!” He drapes his arm over Felix’s shoulder, inching the two of them towards the door. Adrien’s cheeriness plays out in each bounce of his step, each smile, and Felix tries to hide his own smile. “I have to smell like cheese, Fe. Otherwise, the adoring fans will mob me, and I need  _ some  _ way to keep them off me… How do you do it?”

“My stunning personality scares off girls,” deadpans Felix.

Adrien pauses before spinning Felix around with a huge, dopey grin. “Good thing, then, because you didn’t manage to scare off a certain  _ boy  _ with your personality—”

“We’re done talking.” He pushes past his brother, ignoring Adrien’s bubbly laugh following him out of the room. The last thing he needs at an already awkward breakfast would be an  _ acceptance speech.  _ Knowing Adrien, though, that was the next step in conversation.

Besides, Felix didn’t  _ need  _ an acceptance speech.

-

As Adrien twines his fingers around the handle, Felix watches with a raised eyebrow. “Do you really think you’ll like the taste now?”

“I’m an  _ adult  _ now.” With that, Adrien knocks back the rest of his coffee. The taste scorches the inside of his mouth, and he gags. Slapping a hand over his mouth, though, he manages to force himself to swallow. As it burns its way down his throat, he places the mug back down. “Why do you even drink this?”

“It’s certainly not because I’m an adult; fifteen hardly counts.” Felix rolls his eyes, and Adrien debates tossing the coffee at Felix. He just kills the magic of birthdays every year… Which is depressing considering they  _ share  _ birthdays. And parties. And cake. And the singular gift from their father, which has been a pen for the last five years and  _ how do you share a pen? _

Not that Adrien’s bitter about the pen.

Felix gives him a long look. “You’re overly excited about this; it’s going to bite you in the butt.”

“It’s going to be fine. Besides, it’s our  _ birthday;  _ nothing can go wrong today!” He ducks his head and continues shoveling his breakfast yogurt into his mouth. 

Looking up from his own dish of eggs and bacon, Felix narrows his eyes at the yogurt. “Don’t you need to eat more than that?”

“You know how dieting works.” He gives his brother a huge smile. If Felix complains to their father, he’ll assume it’s fencing,  _ again.  _ And last time that happened, his father pulled Adrien out of all athletics for a month; it was the most miserable month he has ever lived through. And fencing tryouts are so close, and Kim and Alix will kick his ass if he doesn’t make the team.

Felix sighs. “And I’m assuming I can’t convince you to bend the rules.”

“I’m certain,” Nathalie says, pushing open the door to the dining room. Adrien startles before beaming at her, “you two can get into enough trouble without intentionally planning on breaking rules.”

“Please, we  _ barely  _ break the rules.” Felix leans back in his chair.

Adrien shoots him a quick look before propping himself up on his elbows. “Nathalie, do you have the schedules?”

“Someone’s eager today,” she notes before opening up her tablet. Sliding it across the table, Adrien quickly scoops it up. He stares at the neatly slotted time spans. Since it’s a Sunday, he should have the entirety of the school day off. And since he doesn’t see any photoshoots, it looks like he’ll have a free day! If he can convince Nathalie to take off the additional practices and study sessions, he’ll have  _ just  _ enough time to go out with Nino!

Adrien passes the tablet to Felix before perking up. “Do you think Father would let me skip some of this today? Because it’s our birthday, and Nino wants—”

“No,” Nathalie and Felix say in unison. Nathalie pauses in time to offer him a dirty look, and Felix shrugs before forcing a saccharine look on his face. 

She sighs and averts her eyes for a quick second. For a moment, he thinks she wants to reach out to him. Maybe she’ll rest her hand on his shoulder, but she ultimately chooses to do nothing. Nathalie straightens her spine and retrieves the tablet from Felix. “I don’t pretend to understand your father’s motives, but he doesn’t think it’d be a good idea. It’s best if you stay safe at home today.”

“Oh… Well, what about getting some people over? That way, I’m staying home, but I’m still getting a chance to hang out with Nino.” Adrien meets her eyes, and Nathalie wavers.

Then, she presses her lips into a tight line and shakes her head ever so slightly. “Your father wouldn’t allow for that alternative either. Your father hasn’t met these—” 

“Chloe.” Chloe hasn’t come over in a long time, and Adrien can’t remember the last time the two of them spent time together, just the two of them. Sure, he’s not the fondest of the way she’s been treating his friends, but he doesn’t know all of the histories there. He knows Chloe is a good person. “Chloe can come over because Father knows her, and we can celebrate our birthday with her—”

“Adrien.  _ Enough.” _

Adrien’s words fizzle out, and he glances up at the ceiling. With a carefully measured voice, he forces out the next sentences. “Okay, understood, Nathalie, thank you.”

“Adrien,” Felix murmurs.

Pushing the yogurt dish across the table, he gets to his feet. With the heat of both of their gazes on him, he pushes to his feet. The second he’s outside of the dining room, he starts running. Faster, and faster, until he’s taking the stairs three at a time and his feet lead him somewhere his mind doesn’t understand.

Then, he finds himself in front of the door. If he closes his eyes and listens, he can hear the clicking of keys inside. Father’s  _ working  _ inside. All Adrien has to do is knock, and maybe he can make a case for himself. He raises his fist, ready to start pounding, and...

Across the hallway, one of the only  _ real  _ photos of his mom hangs on the wall. While his father keeps portraits and drawings of her, he resists the actual photographs. He resists anything which isn’t an interpretation, and every time Adrien tries to find a copy of a movie, all he gets is a fight instead.

_ (“Nathalie, why doesn’t Father let me leave the house?” _

_ “He… He lost your mother to the world. The last thing he wants is to risk losing you as well. Because beyond these walls, not only do you lose any sense of control, but you lose any sense of helpfulness. Because the world’s cruel and unfair and steals away the people you love so much.”) _

His hand trembles, and he sinks back against the wall. As he tucks his head into his knees, he can feel Plagg dart out from his hiding spot in his pocket. “Aren’t you going to go ask?”

“I can’t, Plagg, he…” Adrien runs a hand through his hair as he peeks up at his kwami. Plagg watches him with narrow, disapproving eyes. “He’s been through a lot, and today… I’m sure he misses her a lot today.”

“I’m sure  _ you  _ miss her a lot today,” he counters.

He shakes his head. “I… I don’t remember Mom. I know Felix remembers little bits and pieces of her, but I have no clue what she’s like, and… And how can you miss someone you never met?”

“Kid…”

“I can’t ask Father…” Adrien gets to his feet. “I’m not going to be the reason he’s sad today.”

“And if he’s the reason  _ you’re  _ sad today?” 

“So be it.”

-

Nino leans back against the wall and takes in  _ Tom & Sabine’s.  _ When he first asked the two of them if he could rent out the place for a party, both seemed dubious. Marinette helped convince them, though. For just three hours, the bakery will be delivery-only, and his best bro will get his first birthday party.  _ Ever. _

He invited most of their class to this party; Adrien doesn’t really know anyone outside of them. Yet, when Marinette sent out a group text, asking everyone to come help decorate, almost everyone showed up. Alix and Kim have a competition on who can get the most streamers up with Max recording them diligently, Ivan lifts Mylene up to get one of the signs nailed in, Juleka and Rose place candles and flowers on every table…

Marinette and Alya stand by one of the tables, setting up a cake. Alya glances over her shoulder and winks, and Nino tips his hat in response. She smirks. As he pushes away from the wall, ready to go talk to her, he gets interrupted.

Nathaniel clears his throat. “I don’t think Felix is going to like this very much, Nino.”

“I think Felix will.” He wouldn’t have invited Felix, the ice king, if they weren’t twins. Sure,  _ that  _ twin probably hates humanity enough the idea of a birthday party will kill him, but his best friend will absolutely  _ adore  _ this. 

The redhead makes a face at him. “I don’t think so. But… We’ll see, I guess.”

“It’ll be fine, dude. I promise!” Nino pats him on the back before hurrying over to one of his oldest friends.

Marinette beams at him while Alya doesn’t tear her eyes from the cake. “Just like old times, right, Nino?”

“Wait.” Alya turns and holds up a finger.  _ “‘Old times?’  _ Is there a story I’m missing here?”

“I used to celebrate almost all of my birthdays here,” Nino says. He laughs at Alya’s raised eyebrow. “‘Nette and I have known each other for ages. You miss out on this kind of stuff when you don’t live in one place your whole life.”

“We had everyone’s birthday parties here.” Marinette lets out a dreamy sigh, eyes glazing over as she stumbles on a memory. “We celebrated mine in October, Nino’s in February, and Bridgette’s in June. Every time I started craving cake, I got another opportunity!”

“Bridgette?”

“‘Nette’s cousin. You’d absolutely love her; she’s a nerd about superheroes too.” He nudges her, and Alya scoffs. 

Marinette nods. “She’s a little jealous we have Chat Noir and Ladybug here.”

“I’d be a little jealous too.” The journalist sighs. “I can’t imagine living here  _ without  _ them, and they haven’t even been around all that long. I mean, they’ve been around long enough to start drawing up controversy, but—”

“Controversy?” Nino hasn’t heard a  _ word  _ of that. Everyone he talks to supports them in the fullest, but he  _ does  _ only talk to people his age. Maybe parents have been protesting their existence. He definitely would not know if  _ his  _ parents disliked them; he doesn’t remember the last time they had a full conversation.

She pulls out her phone. “I have notes on my phone; I want to write a feature story on it at some point. But, to give you the quickest summary I can give you, France seems to have split with three camps. One thinks the superheroes are too young and too unqualified to properly defend Paris; the mayor and Officer Roger fall into that one. The second thinks that as long as they stick around, Hawkmoth will stick around since he wants their Miraculous. Which… Is a circular argument. But don’t get me started on that. And the last group of people supports them.”

“I hate adults.” Nino rolls his eyes before taking his own phone out. “And I bet there are  _ only  _ adults in groups one and two.”

“Adults suck,” Alya agrees while Marinette looks ashen.

Before Marinette can start defending them, especially considering her parents are the best people alive, Nino starts calling Adrien. Right before it gets sent to voicemail, his friend’s face appears on the screen, and Nino beams. “Dude!”

“Hey, Nino!” Adrien shifts, back pressed against the headboard of his bed. He has a small smile on his face, but he can tell he’s thinking about something else.

From behind him, he hears Alya shift forward and Marinette yelps.  _ “Hello,  _ sunshine!”

Marinette, on the other hand, says nothing as Adrien laughs and calls out another greeting. It’s  _ painfully  _ obvious ‘Nette likes Adrien. Then again, Adrien barely understands the concept of a friend, and Marinette barely understands the concept of a crush. Sure, it’s a little sad, but Nino doesn’t need to educate either of them on all of this… Especially since Nino doesn’t have his own love life.

“We have a  _ lot  _ to discuss,” Nino drawls.

Adrien pretends to push glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Good thing you stopped by my office. So, Monsieur Lahiffe, what do you need today?”

“Did you manage to convince your old man to let you run wild today?”

He pauses, face twisting. Bowing his head, the blond runs a shaky hand through his hair before shaking his head. “I’m sorry… My father wants me home today. It’s a special day, and he wants a family celebration.”

_ “Lies.” _

“Okay, yeah. That’s a lie.” Adrien smiles bashfully while something hot and itchy nags at Nino. “Just can’t come. Sorry.”

“Your dad is a piece of shit. You know that, right?” Nino mutters before noting the way light fades out of Adrien’s eyes. He sighs and then offers his biggest smile. “You know what, I bet I can charm my way to you. I’ve been told I’m  _ very  _ endearing, Adrien. Nathalie? Felix? Pfft, no match for me! Hell, I’ll even  _ talk  _ to your dad.”

“It won’t change anything.” Adrien offers a sheepish grin. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school, though. Promise.”

“Okay, but it’s your  _ birthday.  _ We gotta figure something out.” He holds up a finger. “You know what? I’m going to go consult with my  _ associates,  _ and I’ll get back to you. See you, man!”

“Don’t get into trouble for me.” Adrien waves before hanging up. 

Shoving his phone back into his pocket, Nino spins on his heel. “So, any ideas on how to get Adrien out of prison?”

“Not even  _ Adrien  _ thinks we’re jailbreaking him,” Alya points out. 

Marinette shakes her head and pulls on the ends of her ponytails. “No, no,  _ no.  _ We have to get him out! We have everything set up, and we’re… I… I just think it’ll be a really sweet way to spend time with him. For  _ all  _ of us to spend time with him—”

The door to the bakery slams open.

-

Why her classmates always underestimate her is beyond her to be completely frank. No matter what they personally feel about her, they must realize just how logical she is. Beyond that, Chloe has a wide range of resources—her father might be the mayor, but she’s also had significant weight to throw away in arrangements.

And why her classmates would try to host a birthday party for  _ her  _ childhood friends is  _ also  _ beyond her. 

Chloe’ll be damned if she’s showed up by Adrien’s ragtag team of misfits. However, judging by the way rumors circulate, she’s losing right now. She couldn’t even figure out what kind of gift to give to the twins. They have everything they could ever want, but the two of them still  _ want.  _

In the bakery, they set up the kind of birthday party which belongs to Disney Channel movies… Which is  _ exactly  _ the kind of party Adrien would love. She doesn’t believe he ever had a party before. Gabriel might believe in extravagance and the  _ ultimate  _ lifestyle, but socialness plays no role in that. 

On the other hand, her parents believe you  _ must  _ be social in order to be extravagant and live the best life. Andre and Audrey  _ thrive  _ on the presence of others; that’s why Chloe gets so many parties for everything. And, ultimately, that’s how they managed to convince Gabriel to let the twins go to  _ her  _ parties. At the very least, she knows he’s been to a birthday party every year—or, at least, every year since they were four years old. 

“What the  _ hell  _ is going on here?” Chloe drawls as she stands in the doorway. Sabrina stands closer to her, shoulder brushing against hers.

Alix, who keeps picking fights with her for no  _ detectable  _ reason, pauses and offers a smug smile. She props herself up on her hand and cocks her head mockingly. Behind her, she hears Max snickers. “Oh! We’re throwing a party for Adrien… I guess you’re just trashy to get invited.”

“If  _ anyone’s  _ trash around here,” Sabrina blurts, “it’s you!”

The girl shrugs, adjusting her white jacket. Chloe  _ swears  _ neither Kim nor Alix have washed those disgusting things since fencing tryouts got announced. “At least I got invited places. You weren’t.”

“You’re barely even friends with Adrien. In fact,  _ none  _ of you are as close to Adrien as I am! How did you possibly think you could pull off a party without  _ moi?”  _ She sweeps a hand across her heart to make her point. 

Throughout the room, she watches them exchange eye contact, some disbelieving. Chloe wrinkles her nose. Do they really think  _ they  _ could be better friends with him? She’s known them since they were small!

She folds her arm over her chest, huffing. “This is  _ ridiculous.  _ Completely, and utterly,  _ ridiculous.  _ Do any of you really think you know him better than me? Do any of you really think you know  _ Felix  _ better than me? Because this? Felix would absolutely  _ hate  _ how tacky this is, and anything Felix hates, Adrien hates.”

“Felix wasn’t going to like the party no matter what, Chlo,” Kim interjects. “So we might as well just try and have a kickass party for one of them.”

“If Felix hates it, Adrien hates it. After all, it’s about  _ their  _ party.” Chloe struts forward and reaches up to the string hanging off one of the banners. With one graceful yank, the whole thing unattached from the ceiling and lands in a heap at their feet. “There.  _ That’s  _ better.”

“What the hell, Chloe? We worked hard on that!” The new girl steps forward from Nino and Marinette, marching up. 

She rolls her eyes. “Evidently, you didn’t do enough research. Who’s this party for? Adrien and Felix, or you guys trying to show what  _ good of friends you are?” _

“Unlike you, we’re not  _ selfish.”  _ Jutting out her chin, the new girl  _ begs  _ Chloe to slap her across the face. Somehow, though, she manages to curl up her hand and rest it on one hip instead. Not quite a slap, but maybe one day, she’ll get the opportunity to finally knock the other girl in her place.

Letting out a derisive snort, Chloe looks down at the other girl.  _ “I’m  _ the selfish one? Says the girl dragging everyone around her into akuma fights just to get footage for her failure of a blog!”

_ “Excuse you—”  _

In the back of the room, Alix pipes up again. “This is why you didn’t get invited. Because, shocker, you ruined  _ everything  _ again.”

“Oh, get over it. You don’t even care about Adrien; you just want another person on your fencing team because Kim’s rejected you so much. Just get it through your skull, Alix.  _ Nobody  _ wants to be around you!” She smiles as Alix reels back, getting to her feet to start going after Chloe. Max wraps an arm around her shoulders, though, pulling her back. 

Marinette clears her throat. “Let’s all just calm down—”

“Well, my dudes, I think Chloe has stayed past her welcome!” Nino nods his head towards the door. “I’m sure you’ll get another opportunity to hang out with Adrien. It just won’t be today.”

“Like I’m going to listen to you.” She huffs, but she hesitates on throwing any barbs at him. If it gets back to Adrien, it might just destroy their friendship. Then again, though, there is very little she can do that drives Adrien away—there’s very little which drives Adrien away from  _ anyone. _

Nino swallows. “What does that mean?”

“It means I’m living on top of the world. I’m the daughter of the mayor. I live in the lap of luxury. And you?” Chloe sweeps her gaze, from the top of his stupid hat to the bottom of his ratty shoes with holes in the soles. “You’re practically a street rat. Do your parents even let you in the house anymore, or do you just  _ like  _ sleeping on your balcony like someone who doesn’t have a home?”

“You need to  _ stop!”  _ Marinette steps forward and throws her arms out as if she can protect them from the words like that. Sometimes, Chloe forgets about Marinette’s passion, her overwhelming desire to be loyal and stand in front of her friends. “You don’t get to throw around words just to  _ hurt  _ us, Chloe! You can’t just say stuff like that because you didn’t get invited to a  _ birthday  _ party! You’ve been a bully for such a long time, and I’m sick of it;  _ everyone  _ is sick of it! Adrien stays as your friend because he honestly believes there’s something good in you… If you’d just… Show an  _ ounce  _ of kindness to us, we would have invited you! But no matter, you just come after us. Again, and again, and…”

Marinette blinks and gives Chloe a hard look. “And I think we’re all done.”

-

Adrien sits curled to Felix, and Felix resists the urge to smile at his brother. He fell asleep by his side fifteen minutes ago. While no  _ audible  _ noises escape, Felix can feel the beginnings of a rumble starting in his chest. He wants to comment on it to Duusu again, but Duusu refuses to put himself in situations where he might  _ have  _ to speak to Plagg. At night, Plagg and Adrien sleep at the same time.

When his phone buzzes, he carefully reaches out and snags it. Adrien mumbles something incoherent before settling down again. One glance at the screen is enough to convince him to pick up. 

The second he accepts the call, Nathaniel beams. Then, he holds up a blue bag without saying a word. Felix wrinkles his nose. “If that’s a present, I will murder you. I told you this on Friday, and I’ll tell you this again, I don’t like birthdays.”

“See, I always knew you were the epitome of a buzzkill,” deadpans Nathaniel. Nonetheless, he lowers the blue bag beneath the table. “But you seem very venomous about birthdays. Do you have some sort of tragic backstory?”

“Planning to draw me as a supervillain?” Felix smirks. “Because I’m sure it could be argued that I’m a supervillain as is.”

“I’m certain it could be. You’re not exactly well-liked.” Then, the redhead pauses. “Then again, they were trying to plan a birthday party for you today.”

“‘They?’ ‘Me?’” His eyes flick down to his brother for a moment before glancing back up. On the screen, you couldn’t even see Adrien on Nathaniel’s end. “I think you’re missing a part of this story. Who’s the ‘they?’”

“Nino, Alya, and Marinette—”

“It was for Adrien, not me.” Which is better than if Nathaniel planned it. Because if Nathaniel was the one who planned the party, it meant he disregarded Felix’s obvious dislike of birthdays and anything associated to it. At the end of the day, it was just a  _ day.  _ There wasn’t anything special about it. There’s nothing different between being 14 years old and 15 years old. There’s no difficult obstacle he can suddenly leap over; it’s a worthless day and an even worse celebration.

Nathaniel shrugs. “You guys share the date.”

“I don’t want it. Today can be  _ solely  _ Adrien’s.” He pauses. “Is that why you called me? To inform me of some birthday party plot?”

“It fell through. Chloe started saying some nasty things and—”

“What did she say?” Felix asks, shifting the phone farther away from Adrien. The last thing he needs is for Adrien to perk up in the middle of this conversation to hear how Chloe roasted his friends. But, Felix has been getting better and better at keeping secrets from Adrien no matter what his proximity is. In fact, Adrien has yet to even suspect Felix knows he’s masquerading as Chat Noir. 

_ (Of course, Felix is also Le Paon, but that’s beside the point.) _

“She made fun of Alya’s blog, Alix’s crush on Kim, and Nino’s home life, which was probably the lowest blow out of the three. But I didn’t know what to say. I can’t find a voice in a room that big, you know? They’re also not my friends, so I’m not going to speak out. I figured one of their friends would defend them, but it was Marinette. Everyone else went completely silent.” Nathaniel laughs, a little too soft and a little too sad. “I guess everyone’s like me now.”

“That’s not a bad way to be. If Chloe was more like you…” Felix lets out a dramatic sigh.

It’s enough to coax another smile out of Nathaniel. “I think that would solve half of the class’s problems, to be completely honest. At the moment, she’s caused fifty percent of all akumas.”

“I’m so glad you can do the math,” Felix dryly responds. Out of the two akumas, Chloe  _ has  _ caused fifty percent. He’s worried, one day, Hawkmoth will pick up the pace with akumas. They only had two this week (unless one was coming today, and from what Nathaniel just told him, it looks like there are three brand new candidates)—who’s to say Hawkmoth won’t be able to send four, five,  _ seven  _ after them?

Nathaniel nods. “I know. It’s really impressive, isn’t it?”

“I just wish… I never thought Chloe was the  _ best  _ person, but she wasn’t this raging monster. Why can’t she just sit back rather than constantly setting the world on fire?” Felix sighs again.

Nathaniel raises an eyebrow. “Like you?”

“Like me. Chloe needs to be a blend of you and me to get the ideal personality that still retains a lot of  _ her  _ personality.” He smirks as Nathaniel hums in agreement. Then, he clears his throat. “I don’t know how Adrien can stick to this narrative that she’ll return to the ‘good side’ one day. I think it’s obvious she’s strayed off the path in a way we can’t save her.”

“I think everyone can be saved in some capacity.” Mulling over his answer, Nathaniel finally settles on what he wants to say. “I think some people just don’t  _ want  _ to be saved. Actors always say it’s the most fun to play villains. And you like being a jerk than being a sunshine child. It’s  _ easier  _ to be mean.”

“I don’t think I’m  _ mean,  _ per se—”

“But you’re blunt,” interrupts Nathaniel. Felix has no rebuttal for that, and he presses on. “And you don’t seek out friends. I know I don’t either, but you actively choose  _ not  _ to have friends most of the time.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” He sniffs for dramatic emphasis.

Nathaniel shrugs. “It’s true. And I think Chloe’s hard to pin down. Because… She’s screwed me over a lot of times. She’s exposed my artwork, she’s made sure nobody would ever consider dating me, she spread this  _ awful  _ rumor about me, but like… Take the fact you’re a blunt friendless intern. But you’re also a surprisingly nice brother, a suffering intern, and a great friend. Everyone’s just this ball of  _ things.” _

“I suppose.”

“And one day, maybe we’ll be able to chip away at Chloe’s exterior enough to find that she has a pure heart.” He hesitates. “Or something. Or she might just literally be Satan’s offspring. But I don’t want to condemn her yet.”

“You’re too nice for your own good.” Felix’s eyes flicker over to his brother again. Maybe everyone in his life is too nice for their own good. They need to figure out a way to grow a better backbone. 

The redhead makes a face. “Well, you know, I can still kick people’s asses if the situation calls for it.”

-

A long time ago, Nino vowed he’d never become a parent. With the exception of the Dupain-Chengs, he’s yet to have met parents he thinks highly of. His own parents are absent mentally most of the time, leaving Nino to care for Chris, and every other kid in school gripes about theirs again and again.

And now, after knowing Adrien’s old man? It only serves to strengthen his conviction in this belief. 

As he walks through the front door of his apartment, a toy hurtles at his head. He ducks in time for it to slam against the door. “Dude, what the…  _ Heck?” _

“You almost cussed!” Chris gleefully announces from the floor. He sits in front of the TV, his cars lined up on the track. Even as Nino talks to him, his attention slowly goes back to the toys instead. His backpack sits close enough to reach but too far away to interfere with the track. 

Nino rolls his eyes. “Doesn’t count. I’m not adding anything to the swear jar.”

“Oh,  _ come on.  _ You were  _ so close.”  _ He grins brightly before trying to throw another car at Nino. He deftly snatches it out of the air before slipping it into his pocket. Chris won’t be getting that one back for a little bit.

Then, Nino clears his throat and directs his attention to the couple on the couch. The two of them haven’t looked up from their various technological devices. His dad watches the TV, a phone deconstructed on his lap. His mom sits with her laptop balanced on the arm of the couch, throwing herself into work.

His life here is a soundtrack of clicking keys and the crackle of static. A symphony of organized chaos, never punctuated with a real conversation. It crescendos when promotions and bonuses are on the horizon, and it crescendos when Nino just… Just  _ needs  _ his parents. He gets drowned out by the call of ambition, of something greater. Gabriel Agreste may be a workaholic and a man who only views his children as objects, but he’s ultimately a coward deep down. His parents combined all these traits with the belief work trumps people, even if that person was their  _ son. _

The only interlude is found with Chris. Chris, who deserves better than sitting in this house, day after day, to play with his cars. He doesn’t make friends at school  _ (“they don’t like me, Nino!”).  _ He doesn’t want to give up this precious time with his parents  _ (“why would I spend time with them anyway? They’re brats!”). _

He plays with the strap of his backpack. “Mom? Dad?”

Chris falls silent, cocking his head. Neither of his parents reacts. When he tries again, his voice cracking slightly, his dad finally places the tools down beside him. When he makes eye contact, he quickly bows his head. “What, Nino?”

“Chloe said something—” Nino cuts himself off when his father snatches a screwdriver off the couch. No. No, he can’t let this be the last obstacle. He needs to make the  _ effort.  _ “Chloe said something about the mayor knowing about me sleeping on the balcony—”

“That’s nice,” his father murmurs.

He clamps down on his bottom lip to prevent himself from adding to the swear jar. It’s no use talking to them. Ruffling Chris’ hair as he passes, he stomps off to where his room  _ used  _ to be, shoving the door into the clutter.

Their apartment only has two bedrooms, so they transformed the  _ spare one  _ into a storage space. Monitors stack up in the corner, wires spread across the floor like cobwebs. Someone built a tower of cardboard boxes in the middle, the logos of every up-and-coming brand printed neatly on the side. The only thing untouched is the small bed pressed against the window. The door to the balcony is blocked by boxes, but the window provides a way outside still.

And Nino’s many things, but he tries not to be selfish with Chris. Because Chris deserves the world, but all Nino can give him is a small bed in a cramped room. It’s better he sleeps on the balcony or the floor than Chris suffers.

He collapses down on the worn  _ Transformers  _ comforter, shoving one of the old keyboards away with his feet. It slams against the floor with a crash, but Nino shoves his headphones on and ignores everything else.

Reaching underneath the bed, he yanks out a small shoebox. Placing it on his lap, he throws open the lid and inspects the contents. A few more Hotwheels cars. A rubber dinosaur which wheezes every time he squeezes it. A drawing of Chris and Nino as superheroes before Ladybug and Chat Noir came around. A bubble blower.

Nino laughs and pulls it out. With one swish, he blows out the bubbles and lets them drift through the air. They’re  _ just  _ as trapped inside this house as he is. The bubbles throw themselves against the wall and  _ pops,  _ choosing to disappear than exist  _ here. _

Somewhere, buried in what passes as a closet, he keeps his old bubble blower. He kept most of his toys from his childhood, slowly giving them to Chris one by one. A few, though, will never go to him. He knows he keeps a half-composed song from Bridgette and a badly crafted hat from Marinette—He knows he got more from them than he ever got from his parents.

Maybe that’s why he wants to be Adrien’s  _ Bridgette and Marinette.  _ Because it sucks. It sucks to have parents so close but so far. It sucks to watch them dedicate themselves to everyone but you, and there’s no way to express this to  _ anyone.  _ Because even if your brother lives under the same circumstances, saying it out loud makes it  _ real.  _ It’s easier to blow bubbles and listen to music and pray everything changes. 

Something presses against the hand holding the bubble blower. He opens his eyes in time to see a butterfly go through the hoop, disappearing as if the bubble  _ caught  _ it. The world tints purple, and the music contorts to furious drum beats. 

**_They don’t understand; they can never understand. They’ll never change. No adult wants what’s best for their kids; they want what’s best for themselves. The world would be a better place without them—Would Nino even notice if his parents disappeared?_ **

Nino groans, the drum starting to beat against his head. A voice seeps in amidst the thoughts, getting louder and louder AND LOUDER.  _ “Hawkmoth is my name, and the Bubbler is now yours. Together, we can get rid of all of these uncaring, insufferable adults… But it comes at a price. You’ll have to help me get something from the two superheroes.” _

**_‘The world will be a better place for Chris. The world will be a better place for Adrien. No more prayers things will be better—the WoRlD will get BeTtER. The wOrLd WiLl Be A bEtTeR pLaCe FoR mE!’_ **

“Yes,” the Bubbler whispers as the purple and black veins start to twine up his arms. “Whatever you want, Hawkmoth.”

**_IT WILL BE WORTH IT._ **

-

“Do you hear that?” Adrien perks up at the table, eyes wide. 

Felix doesn’t look up from his computer, sipping his coffee slowly. When he finally tears his eyes away from the screen, he rolls his eyes. “Fine, okay, I’ll play along. What am I supposed to be hearing?”

“Nothing.” Getting to his feet, he races out of the dining room, abandoning his garden salad. Sure enough, the techno music grows in volume, pulsing throughout the house. It’s a stark difference from the classical music his father  _ insists  _ on playing. “Nathalie? Father? Are you playing that music?”

“What music—” As soon as his brother steps out of the room, he cocks his head. “Wait a second. I don’t… Where is that coming from?”

“I knew I wasn’t imagining it!” A smile starts to light up his face, and Adrien slams his eyelids shut. Placing his hand in front of him, he drifts to where the noise originates from. Even as it shakes the air around him, the path seems clear enough to follow. It’s like…  _ Pathfinder  _ but with noise. He’ll have to ask Plagg if he gets better hearing when he’s Chat Noir; after all, he got the other unfortunate side-effects.

Felix steps up beside him. “Look out the window. That isn’t normal.” 

“No. No, it isn’t.” Plastering his palm against the glass, he tries to get a better view of their courtyard. The glass  _ itself  _ shakes from the force of the music. When Adrien sweeps his eyes around the grounds, he can count almost all of his classmates—Alya, Kim, Alix, Nathaniel. They dance on tiles, pink and green and yellow, as if it’s a disco floor. Someone set up a buffet table on the far end, full of sweets his father would never allow.

And at the DJ board, the akuma sits. The costume  _ alone  _ is enough to convince him of that fact. Blue and red crisscross over his body, and he possesses a huge bubble wand. On his back, whatever the bubbles are made of  _ (syrup? Adrien never played with those when he was little)  _ rest in huge containers.

He breathes out, ragged.  _ “Mon Dieu.” _

“Not quite the birthday party you wanted,” Felix deadpans. 

Then, the akuma’s eyes fly over to the pair of them. It lights up with a smile, gesturing for the two of them to step outside. 

“I don’t think we’re in a place to say no.” But as they walk outside, he grabs Felix’s wrist. He’s not scared… Maybe he’s just excited. The akuma  _ smiled.  _ This is harmless fun. This is… Maybe Hawkmoth got it wrong this time around. Maybe the heroes don’t need to come and save the day. Maybe this is  _ fine. _

“Hey, hey,  _ hey,  _ birthday boys!” The boy calls out. Suddenly, he swipes his wand through the air and generates a  _ massive  _ bubble. As he drifts over to them, surfing on it, Adrien can see their shocked faces reflected back at him. “The Bubbler’s brought all your  _ besties  _ together for one single purpose! To celebrate  _ you!” _

“My besties,” Adrien mumbles, glancing around the courtyard again. Who’s missing? It’s everyone in their class except… Except…

His eyes dart over to the ‘Bubbler’ again. “Nino.”

“Uh, uh, uh, party pooper. Nino’s gone! The only one left here is the Bubbler!” He stretches out his hand, obviously expecting Adrien to take it. He glances down at where he keeps his hand tightly bound around Felix’s wrist. His twin says nothing, eyes shifting around the plaza as if trying to solve some kind of math problem. 

Adrien drops his voice, too low for Nino to hear. “What should I do?”

“Why are you asking me?” Felix asks without moving his mouth. “You can think for yourself.”

“I don’t know what I want to do—”

“Adrien, what other options do we have here? He’s an akuma.” Felix gently shakes Adrien’s hand off his wrist, but Adrien doesn’t understand what the words mean. Yeah, he’s an akuma. So does he obey Nino without question to make sure nobody else gets hurt? Or does he run far away from whatever sort of twisted birthday party this is? Does he try to find out where their father went? He doesn’t  _ know. _

Nino reaches over and yanks him forward. Adrien yelps as the pressure intensifies on his wrist. “Nino,  _ stop.” _

“Stop? Dude, we’re just getting  _ started!”  _ The Bubbler’s face goes too bright again… His happiness threatens to drown Adrien completely. When he twists against him, nursing his wrist against his chest, he notes Felix slipping back into the house. “Come on, don’t you want to party? It’s what you always  _ wanted.” _

“But—”

“C’mon! Look at all these people who came here for  _ you!”  _ The bubble starts bouncing back to the DJ board, and Adrien almost loses his balance. The Bubbler casually wraps an arm around his waist to keep him from falling.

Somehow, he finds Alya’s eyes in the crowd. She holds her phone up to the sky, probably live streaming— _ Oh shit. That means his father’s going to see this. And it’s going to be bad press. And he’s going to be a disappointment and— _

“Dude.” The Bubbler’s voice drops lower. He reaches for the bubble wand and throws one out, snagging Alya’s phone. She squeaks in protest as it starts to float up to the sky. When he speaks again, his tone gentle and nurturing, Adrien could close his eyes and find Nino instead of an akuma. “Let loose. I promise, no stress from your dad, no nothing. Just chillin’ with your best friend.”

“Nino…” Adrien doesn’t know how he wants to finish that sentence.

The bubble pops as they hit the ground behind the DJ Board. The Bubbler grabs his wrist and places it above a board of circuits and switches. “I’ll teach you how to do this, dude. You said you wanted to learn.”

“Nino—”

“Let loose. Just once.” 

Adrien seeks out the faces in the crowd. Most of them offer friendly smiles back. Kim and Alix wave at him enthusiastically, gesturing towards an empty spot on the dance floor. Chloe cooes his name and blows him a kiss; Sabrina copies the movement from her side, but when Adrien makes eye contact, she flushes.

He laughs nervously. “I guess it’s not hurting anyone. What’s… What’s the harm in having fun?”

-

Spreading his fans, he catches the wind to boost him on top of the nearby building. Squinting, he tries to find the outline of the manor. If Le Paon arrived the  _ second  _ the akuma appeared at the Agreste Manor, it’d be suspicious. If he arrived a little later, with some story about his father getting taken away by the bubbles, nobody will start piecing together his identity. Most of the population has fathers after all.

Luckily, the akuma lacks any subtlety. The music and the lights provide a giant arrow back to his home. As Le Paon starts to race across the rooftops, hands curled tight around the handle of the fan, he keeps an eye out. While he’s not convinced Chat Noir will be joining this fight anytime soon, Ladybug usually beats him to the scene. 

This time, maybe, he’ll beat  _ her— _

“We need to find an alarm system or  _ something.”  _ Ladybug swings up beside him, yo-yo still a blur right beside her. 

He nods once, curtly. While the logistics might be a little  _ messy,  _ the three of them can pursue this option with the mayor. Then again, the mayor seems venomously against the idea of superheroes—Against all logic, against all facts, he clings to the idea a police force can take down Hawkmoth. 

Clearing his throat, he presses them onwards. “What do we know about the akuma?”

“He’s using bubbles to trap the adults. None of the children.” Ladybug keeps pace with him easily. Neither of them cracks jokes, neither of them attempts to get the other one to smile. The mood hangs around them, thick, and it feels different than it usually does. It’s a business meeting.

They land on a rooftop, a ledge making sure they remain hidden by the inhabitants of the party, looking down at the courtyard right as the music grinds to a stop. Instead of the heavy techno songs, the songs he  _ knows  _ Nino prefers, a slow song drifts through the air. Le Paon wrinkles his nose. “These songs are excessively cheesy.”

“They’re usually sweet…” Ladybug’s voice trails off, and he follows her gaze to where Chloe has found his brother. Chloe grabs his hands and wraps them around her waist. As she twines her own arms around his neck, she offers her most endearing smile before leaning forward for a kiss.

Adrien’s face goes bright red, and Le Paon squeezes the fan so tightly he worries the feathers will pop out. When he glances down at them, he can see the trembling of his hands. Ladybug, on the other hand, makes a low growl in the back of her throat before fiddling with her yo-yo. She winds the string around her index finger.

“That is a disgusting scene down there—”

“There is no way in  _ hell  _ I’m letting that happen,” Ladybug whispers, more to herself than Le Paon. He glances over in time to watch her throw the yo-yo in the air.  _ “Lucky Charm!” _

A record lands in her waiting hands, and Ladybug grins to herself. As she starts to get to her feet, he grabs her arm. “Tell me that you didn’t just use your Lucky Charm over a petty  _ crush.” _

“She’s  _ hanging off  _ him! And he clearly doesn’t look comfortable! I was just trying to save him from that  _ she-devil.”  _ She balls her fists around the record, but he notes she won’t meet his eyes. Instead, she keeps it trained on her lucky charm. “We can help the little people along the way, can’t we?”

“It sounds like you have personal stakes in this—”

“Well, I’m sorry some of us have emotions,” Ladybug snaps.

He huffs. “No, some of us just don’t let them run  _ wild.” _

“I’m just looking out for… For  _ everyone  _ here! You and Chat can handle the fight while I recharge! It’s not like he was going to say no anyway!” Ladybug flips around, perched on her knees to see over the ledge. Her eyes seek something out, and her entire face lights up in a moment. Her frown disappears.

His doesn’t. It seems wrong to use the Miraculous abilities to handle these issues. Personal issues stay with Felix; Le Paon can keep up an alias, complete with a fake family. Sure, he wants to defend Adrien, but that desire belongs almost purely to  _ Le Paon.  _ But he became Le Paon to protect Adrien… When did he start becoming his own entity in this costume?

Ladybug flicks the record away easily. He doesn’t bother tracking it with his eyes. With a combination of good luck and skill, sure enough, the slow song becomes dance music soon after. 

“Dude!” cries the akuma. Anger starts to fester under his tone. “Who just  _ hijacked my mix?” _

“Yours truly.” Ladybug launches herself onto the ledge. Le Paon lets out a sigh before joining her, staring down at the courtyard. Alya fishes for something in her bag before freezing with a scowl. Nathaniel looks up from where he dances with Alix, terror giving way to hope. And Adrien starts inching towards the door.

He nudges Ladybug. “Be back soon. I can entertain this joker, at least briefly.”

“Thanks, Le Paon.” She punches him on the shoulder before swinging off. Le Paon slides into the spot she used to stand and pulls out a dart. 

Spiking it through the bubble racing towards him, Le Paon gives a smirk. “Please. Can’t you try a little harder? Surely, I’m worth  _ some,  _ if not  _ all,  _ of your effort.”

“Where’s that pest going?” The Bubbler waves his wand again, sending out enough bubbles he can’t easily leap through them. “Because, no offense, dude, I’d rather be snatching up the ladybug than you.”

“No offense taken.” Le Paon gets a dart through a bubble right as the Bubbler’s foot lands. He starts plunging towards the ground before he manages to catch himself. “But that doesn’t mean I have to make it easy for you. If you want to find Ladybug, you’re going through me… And I’m not an easy person to get through.”

“Oh, please. I’ve taken away everyone else with a stick up their ass; now, I just have to take you away.” He bears his teeth.

Shrugging, Le Paon brandishes another dart. “Is that so? Is that why you still obey the orders of Hawkmoth? You know, I have a feeling  _ he’s  _ an adult. He certainly sounds like one.”

“That’s…” The Bubbler hesitates, giving him enough time to kill a few more bubbles. Now that he knows Hawkmoth wants Ladybug more than himself? Well, that opens a whole new realm of possibility… Right now, though, it leaves one. He can’t let the Bubbler find Ladybug transformed. He  _ doubts  _ she would be able to defend herself.

-

_ Modeling,  _ his father once said,  _ is a little like improv. The answer is always ‘yes, and…?’ For the life of me, I can’t imagine you ever having a reason to say no. _

Then, Ladybug appeared on the rooftop, and shame blistered in his cheeks. He needed her to save him when he should be out on the rooftops  _ with her.  _ And when the music changed, he pushed Chloe away and stammered out something about wanting water. As he sprinted to go transform, he felt his face burning, but he kept his eyes trained on the ceiling.

Now, as he goes to join Le Paon in the best game of cat-and-mouse yet, seeing Ladybug join him on the ledge makes him hesitate. The familiar heat rushes to his face, and he tries to blink it away. Chat Noir is always  _ unfazed  _ and nonchalant; in some ways, he thinks it’s the most redeeming quality about him. While Le Paon and Ladybug stress over every little detail, he can make the situation just a little lighter for them. 

His tail flicks, and he sits back against the brick wall. Will he be able to do that today? Will he be able to cast aside this rising bile in his throat and offer the biggest smiles and the best jokes and…?

He knows the answer already.

“This is getting pointless. Tell me you have a better plan than this,” Le Paon mutters as he throws another dart. The bubble pops right above his head, soaking Chat Noir down to the bone. He shivers and curls in on himself, trying to get a better view of the two of them.

Ladybug hums. “The problem is either we drive him back, or he drives  _ us  _ back. These bubbles are… We can’t use it as a platform, and we don’t have enough room anywhere to dodge.”

“And we can’t step through the bubbles without them capturing us.” The other superhero gestures to one of the kids who just captured by a bubble before sighing. “Can I just let them go? They should have known better.”

“Go retrieve the captured kids… We can figure this out. What if we just…  _ Looped around?”  _ Her eyes dart behind the Bubbler before he lunges for them again. She lets out a sharp curse before dropping off the rooftop. Chat plasters himself in the shadows to make sure she doesn’t notice him. 

Before her eyes can even find his, the Bubbler hits the ground in between the two of them. He cocks his head slightly before Chat notices his shoulders lift. Before either of them can react, the Bubbler inhales and blows. A bubble forms around them, a semicircle on the ground to guarantee nobody gets in and out. They’re in the Bubbler’s playground now, and it’s only big enough to hold two of the nearby houses.

He slides his feet back until his back hits a wall. When he glances over his shoulder, he finds the glassy sheen of the bubble. There’s no way out unless the Bubbler pops it—or Chat pulls a  _ cataclysm.  _ He has a feeling, though, he can work a better plan when he’s trapped in this corner.

Ladybug tries a less direct approach. She hammers a fist against the side of the bubble and strikes the top with her yo-yo. “You have  _ got  _ to be kidding me.”

“Sooner you give me your Miraculous, little lady, the sooner we can get back to the party!” He steps forward, hand outstretched. A smile curls on Chat’s face; does he  _ seriously  _ think Ladybug would just give it up?

She gives him an astonished look. “Oh,  _ please.  _ You’re not getting my earrings that easily, even if we  _ are  _ stuck here.”

“All you superheroes are sticks-in-the-mud. If I had superpowers, I’d be having a lot more fun with it.” He sniffs before creating a small bubble, balancing it between his thumb and forefinger. “You’re just like an adult. Just like  _ everyone  _ up there.”

Then, suddenly, he blows it up. Within the bubble’s reflection, he can make out someone familiar… Chat  _ knows  _ he’s never seen these people before, but he knows their facial features. He’s seen them in a blend on his best friend’s face, and considering who the akuma is, Chat knows he can connect these dots.

Ladybug recoils. “I don’t know what happened to you… But—”

He spins the bubble and a new image forms. Chat saw this pair on the home screen of Marinette’s phone.

This time, Ladybug flattens herself against the edge of the bubble in order to get away from it. Her yo-yo spins furiously by her side.

The Bubbler, deep in thought, doesn’t notice. “Even the kindest adults can’t change anything. They just want to control you. They just want to keep you in a…  _ Bubble,  _ if you will. And then kids never get to have fun and live it up.”

“They aren’t trying to keep you in a bubble because they want to  _ control  _ you. They’re doing it because they love you… Maybe they just don’t know how to express it.” Ladybug steels herself before sending her yo-yo shattering through the image. 

He scowls and reaches behind him to the canisters. Without even looking, he manages to get the wand into the syrup, and an idea starts to form in Chat’s head. He creeps forward, careful to keep himself silent. He presses himself against the ground and keeps his eyes on the Bubbler’s canisters. If he slips his hand in the crack, the  _ cataclysm  _ might affect them both.

The Bubbler sighs. “You’re naive, my dude, if you think adults care for anyone. Some of them just… Don’t. And if you give me your Miraculous, we’ll never need to deal with them again.”

Chat braces himself on his back legs before lunging forward.  _ “Cataclysm!” _

The cold erupts in his veins as he plasters his palm between the canisters. All around him, the world  _ seizes  _ into shades of vibrant green. Everywhere he looks, everywhere he turns, the green overtakes everything else. When he glances into Ladybug’s face, eyes wide, the blue loses ground to the same electric color. They flash, and his knees give out beneath him. 

_ (I thought you promised me a perfect life, Plagg! Is this what you meant? Is this what perfection is supposed to feel like?) _

Mist swarms his form, and the akuma falls against the wall, trying to support himself. In the thick clouds around him, Chat can see images starting to form in the shadows. A pair of eyes stare back at him, green and slitted and cat-like, and his breath escapes his throat. He wants to ask questions; he wants to know  _ more. _

Then, his ring beeps, and the fog disappears into thin air. The cold rocks back into his bones until he groans, shivering. Something inside him screams to get up, to stand up, to stand tall. He scrambles to his teeth as the two around him blink, swiping at their eyes to try and orientate themselves.

Grinning, he ignores his shaking legs. “Milady, you look  _ excellent  _ in this light.”

-

Before Ladybug can even touch on the dark smog which filled up the bubble, which still circles at the top, pressing against it in an attempt to escape, a purple butterfly lights up the Bubbler’s face. He folds in on himself, and he starts to  _ grow.  _

When he’s finished, he’s easily big enough to throw them without breaking a sweat. He’s a little larger than her dad, but a little smaller than the Gorilla, and he’s all muscle. She exchanges an uneasy look with Chat, who still smiles dopily before nodding over to one of the streetlights. She raises an eyebrow as he bounds over, climbing up until he sits perched at the very tip. “Oh,  _ Mister Bubble.  _ Not so strong without your secret formula.”

“Chat—”

“Milady, it’s two against one.” He winks and sticks out his tongue. As the Bubbler swipes his bubble wand through the air in an attempt to hit him, he backflips to the ground. “Well, look at that. Cats always land on their feet, y’know.”

She plasters herself against the building. It’s not a time for action… Not for her, at least. There’s a reason she has partners. She can trust Chat Noir to provide a diversion while she thinks everything through. Her powers have yet to fail her, and she’ll be damned if today’s the day she fails. It’s  _ Adrien’s birthday. _

He’s only armed with the bubble wand now, but his size makes it impossible to get a good grab at it. Chat Noir bounces and weaves between his legs, making sure his eyes never leave him. Some of the moves are admittedly  _ riskier  _ than Ladybug would prefer, but he executes every single one of them perfectly with a bold smile across his face. If he can have such utter confidence in himself, it’s only fair she shares the same sentiment. He knows what he’s doing.

They either need something strong enough to break the bubble wand, which can obviously hold its own against most of the surroundings as the Bubbler carelessly swats it at Chat, or they need something to get it out of his  _ grip.  _

It’s fine. Ladybug knows what she needs…

_ “Lucky charm!”  _ she cries for the second time that day. Deep inside her suit, she can feel the glee swelling from Tikki. The first time she detransformed, the kwami gave her a stern talking to. Personal lives have no place in being superheroes; blurring the lines between the two aliases almost always creates supervillains, not heroes.

A wrench lands in her hands, and she flips it over a few times. 

Chat lets out a hoot. “You’re a lady of many talents, my bugaboo! I didn’t know you were good at  _ plumbing!” _

“Give me a second to think—” Ladybug yelps as the wand strikes against her ankle and sends her tumbling. Rolling, she grabs the top edge of it, swinging in the hole in the middle as the Bubbler lifts her up.

He grins. “Always nice to catch a ladybug under a microscope. Remember burning ants with magnifying glasses?”

“Maybe it’s just me,” Ladybug mutters as she slips the wrench into her utility belt. Swinging herself upwards, she builds momentum to throw herself to the next building. As she escapes his grip, she tears her yo-yo off her waist and starts twirling it, managing to grab a sign hanging right above an awning. “But I’ve always had a soft spot for bugs.”

“I personally find all bugs cute as a button!” Chat pounces on the awning beside her, shaking the striped structure. He reaches over and bops her on the nose before lowering his voice. “I don’t have a lot of time left. What’s the plan, milady?”

“I don’t think we’re strong enough to break the bubble wand on our own anymore. It seems almost… Reinforced.” An idea strikes her right as she says it. Straightening her spine, Ladybug drops her voice even lower. “What if we can flip that against him?”

“Flip that against him?” As the Bubbler swings at them again, Chat grabs her hand and tosses them through the opening in the wand. He presses her against his chest as they hit the ground, and she can feel the vibrations through his body. “I have to be completely honest, I don’t know what that means.”

“You don’t need to.” Ladybug lifts her head, spotting a pipe on one of the buildings. Glancing up at Chat, she offers her most endearing smile. “Do me a favor. Do whatever you can to keep his wand in front of him.”

“Oh, don’t you worry. I can annoy him enough that he’ll keep swiping at me.” Bouncing off the ground, gently letting her find her balance before rushing off, he slides in front of him. “Hey,  _ Bubble Boy!” _

“Bubble Boy… I like it, Chat!” She rushes over to the pipe and feels around it, looking for the screw. The plan’s starting to come together. When she finds it, she starts unscrewing but hesitates before completely yanking it out. 

Chat Noir manages to get the Bubbler— _ Bubble Boy— _ right in front of her, assuming a fencing position she couldn’t dream of figuring out, and she winks at him. He reaches up and claps his hand around the wand, his baton clattering against the ground. As she yanks at the pipe, the water flows out and gushes across the stones. 

As Bubble Boy starts to fall forward, Chat scurries away, letting him slam against the bubble wand. Something  _ creaks  _ and then  _ snaps.  _ From there, a purple butterfly rushes into the air. 

She twirls her yo-yo, catching the akuma with ease. “Gotcha, little butterfly!  _ Miraculous Ladybug!” _

As the butterfly drifts out, shining in pure white, the world deconstructs around them. She glances around her as the rush of pink and red overtakes the city. The pipe mends itself to the wall, and the water shimmers once, twice, before disappearing. The bubble collapses into itself before floating up to the sky. Before them, Bubble Boy shrinks and turns back into Nino, hat bowed over his head.

“I see you guys finished that battle without me.” Le Paon lands next to them, a smug smile on his face. 

Chat Noir flicks his tail, grinning. “Wait, what have you been doing?”

“I found the bubbles with all the adults and got them down.” He points away in a random direction. “I used  _ Pathfinder  _ and found everyone I needed to find.”

“Whoa. Dude.” Nino rolls over to a sitting position. The three of them exchange eye contact and find each other’s Miraculouses. Chat and Le Paon both need to head out  _ very  _ soon, and Ladybug doesn’t have nearly enough time to escort him back to his house. 

Chat Noir shrugs and puts out his fist. With a slight wiggle of his eyebrows, he shifts even closer to them. “Pound it!”

-

Nathalie walks in, balancing presents in her arms. Since neither of them got the proper opportunity to open the presents form the ‘surprise’ birthday party, the Gorilla and Nathalie keep toting in gifts. 

“Miss Sancoeur,” Adrien says in his deepest voice possible. He shifts from the blanket mold he built around him, the ‘hood’ falling to his shoulders. It leaves behind a blond mess which looks like it belongs more to Chat Noir than Adrien, “surely you realize we are on a strict time table. At the rate we have been going, we shall be  _ greatly  _ behind schedule. I insist you come over here and assist us in unwrapping the presents.”

“Well, Monsieur Agreste, as tempting as the offer is, another Monsieur Agreste requests my attention.” She puts the last two presents at the end of the bed. Hesitating, Adrien cocks his head and sweeps his gaze over to Felix.

Felix shrugs and sits down at the foot of the bed. Adrien leaps there next to him and picks up the box wrapped in creamy wrapping paper. He traces his name on the top in neat letterings Felix doesn’t recognize from anyone. Not Nathalie, not Gabriel. But underneath it…

_ “Felix, it says it’s from Father!”  _ Adrien tackles him into a half-hug before ripping open the wrapping paper. As the scraps of paper hit the ground, he wiggles the box open and lets out a gasp. “Felix, look at it!”

“It’s a… Scarf,” he says slowly. It’s handmade and completely  _ unlike  _ the usual Agreste style. At the bottom, Felix can almost see some kind of rip there. If it came from Gabriel, it wouldn’t be made with any flaws. After all, he expects them to never make mistakes. The very least he could do is ensure he abides by his small rules. 

Wrapping the light scarf tightly around his neck, Adrien shoots to his feet and strikes a pose. “What do you think? Does it look nice?”

“It…” There’s something on the bottom of the scarf. Felix goes to say it before glancing at his brother’s face. His smile splits across his face, and his eyes shine brightly. The words die on his lips. “It suits you, Adrien.”

“Really? I’m going to go look.” Adrien rushes into the bathroom, and Felix waits until he’s gone to open his own box. He carefully unwraps the paper, making sure nothing gets ripped up or crinkled. He’ll save this for some future event, one way or another. 

Duusu peeks his head out of his pocket. “What’s wrong, peachick?”

“I don’t think this is from…” Felix reveals the tie. Duusu coos immediately and nuzzles his face into the material. As he holds it up to the light, Felix spins it around until he can see the stitching tucked away in the corner. It’s meant to be nonexistent in this, but she knows better than to leave it completely undetectable. After all, Felix already saw her execute this technique to her advantage.

He runs his finger over the stitching. “Marinette. It’s from Marinette.”

“Marinette? I thought Nathalie said it was from Gabriel.” Duusu leaves the fabric to inspect the letters. He pulls back, a look of complete disgust written across his face. “He  _ lied  _ to you?”

“Are we shocked anymore? We’ll have to thank Marinette another day… I imagine Adrien would rather it comes from Gabriel, and I’m not going to crush his dreams.” Felix sighs. “Mon Dieu, I would never do anything to hurt that boy.”

“I know,” Duusu whispers.

As Adrien stays in the bathroom, still probably ogling over his image, he leaves his bed to start inspecting the other presents. Separating them out by name proves to be easier than anticipated. After all, most of them come for Adrien. Felix gets the small ones, mostly pity gifts. Though, Chloe, Nathaniel, and (surprisingly) Nino both give him presents of equal weight to the presents they give his brother.

Felix pulls the one from Nino into his lap. As much as he loathes dealing with akumas, this particular one struck a chord with him. He knows adults don’t care as much as they should. And considering life would have gone on just the same with or without Gabriel, he can’t say he mourned the idea of losing his father too terribly. The only person he hesitates letting out of his life will always be Nathalie when it comes to adults. Even the Gorilla, who he likes and all, could disappear and not leave a dent in his life.

Picking it open with his fingernail, he pulls out a worn flash drive towards the bottom. As he cradles it in his palm, Duusu dives into the box to grab the sticky note. In his most dramatic voice, he starts to read.  _ “‘Dear Felix. I know this is awkward. I know I’m Adrien’s friend and not yours, but it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t mind being bros with you. Your bro, after all, is the best man I could have asked for. Consider this an olive branch.’” _

“‘An olive branch?’” Felix snorts. “I wasn’t aware we were at war.”

“He wants to be friends with you, peachick,” interrupts Duusu, pressing himself against his cheek. “You should say yes.”

“He’s Adrien’s friend.”

“Doesn’t mean he can’t be both of your friends. Besides, he’s helping with one of the only clubs you’d be interested in.” Duusu flicks his tail.

He wrinkles his brow. “What are you talking about?”

“The  _ Ladyblog—” _

“What about the Ladyblog?” Adrien pushes open the door, eyes still fixated on the bottom of his scarf. He keeps playing with the tips and running it between his fingers. The way he touches it, you would have thought the scarf could disappear at any point.

Felix shrugs. “Just thinking about how there wasn’t a great amount of footage from that today. The Bubbler stole that girl’s phone almost instantly. Usually, you spend the whole night watching replays.”

“Well, I’m going to be up anyway.” Adrien shuffles his feet and offers his brightest smile. Crossing the room, he collapses down next to Felix. “We did it. This was our most _exciting birthday_ we’ve _ever_ had.”

“And you would know because you remember every single one of them?” He rolls his eyes before passing him the small box from Nino. “It’s from your best friend. He got me something, so I’d assume he got you the same.”

“Nino?” Adrien’s eyes soften. “Do you think he’s alright, Fe?”

“Alright?”

“I just… Being akumatized has to take a lot out of you. It’s not like it’s anything you  _ don’t  _ believe. Because you believe everything you’re fighting for.” Adrien kicks his feet. “Whoever Hawkmoth is, he must be a complete monster.”

Felix bumps their shoulders together. “Good thing we got superheroes to keep us safe.”

-

_ Wayzz remembered, most vividly, what it looked like when every spot in the box was filled. In each compartment, the guardian made sure each Miraculous stayed in its proper spot. Master Fu understood the organizing principles behind each and every kwami. He understood the implications they spread to their wielders. _

_ He wanted to ask if Master Fu felt he was making the right choice. Because, right now, he was dealing with a tangled web of humanity rather than fate. The wielders, the wielders  _ destined  _ for each other, kept drifting in opposite directions. Slowly, one by one, they’d all become each other’s worst enemies. _

_ For each wielder, minus the wielder of Pollen as Pollen stubbornly insisted on being the seventh wheel no matter what, had three possibilities for the person opposite them. Take the Ladybug. The Ladybug could have her romantic soulmate as her Black Cat, she could have her platonic soulmate as her Black Cat, or she could have her worst enemy as her Black Cat. Any other person would lead to an upset in the fragile balance of the world. _

_ Right now, despite the fact Wayzz knew the Ladybug and the Black Cat were meant for each other, they didn’t feel the pull towards one another. Instead, they appeared to be butting heads every opportunity. A few times, Wayzz thought they almost lost right then and there until another superhero managed to interfere. _

_ “You’re  _ scared,”  _ cooed Trixx as she sat next to Wayzz. She curled her tail next to her and started kneading it with her paws. She’s trying to look her best for her next wielder; Wayzz stood by the fact Trixx never got to go out to play. Master Fu always insisted Trixx was the most reckless out of all of them, though, and if he could avoid bringing her out, he’d certainly try. _

_ Wayzz couldn’t argue with that one. “Scared? About what?” _

_ “Destiny.  _ Choosing wrong.”  _ She used air quotes to emphasis her point before sticking her nose in the air. _

_ He made a noise in the back of his throat before sighing. “Look, Trixx, I… You couldn’t possibly understand.” _

_ “Well, you’re the kwami of wisdom.” Trixx laughed. “Enlighten me.” _

_ “Many factors go into trying to get this right—” _

_ “I think that’s your problem. You and Fu? You guys  _ try  _ too hard. Life doesn’t stay on track. Life twists and curves and bends, and if you don’t know how to ride that wave, you’ll never last a day.” Trixx winked at him. _

_ Wayzz scowled. “Life  _ does  _ stay on a set path. It stays on the path of least resistance and most balance. As long as we help to maintain that balance, life should never escape our grip.” _

_ “If you have to fight so hard to maintain that balance, maybe it’s not what the universe wanted. After all, wouldn’t it try a little harder to be dependent if it wanted that for itself?” She flicked her tail before getting up. As she snatched up her necklace, she hung it around her own neck. “The universe doesn’t want this balance, and so, I say again, you guys are trying too hard. Try to be a little random. Try to  _ worry  _ less… Though, knowing you, that’s like asking you to abandon Fu!” _

_ “Don’t joke about that.” _

_ “Everyone else loses their wielder. Tell me, please, why it’s fair you don’t lose yours?” Trixx cocks her head before cackling.  _

**Author's Note:**

> Coming soon:  
> "You really think we'll fight better if we split up?"  
> "Well, someone has to fend off the ice monsters, milady."  
> "I hate to admit it... But he might have a point."


End file.
